Am I a Mutant, or What? by Bill Amend, 128 pages

 Realism lends humr and relevance to the story lines enacted by ubernerd Jason Fox and his family in the enormously successful syndicated comic strip FoxTrot. Unafraid to tackle timely topics of the day, FoxTrot finds wry humor in such issues as SARS, video game violence, boy bands, Internet music piracy, and a multitude of pop culture themes. In fact, FoxTrot is so inextricably intertwined with pop culture that creator Bill Amend was interviewed in the premiere issue of The Lord of the Rings Fan Club Official Movie Magazine, thanks to a series of strips about Jason's fanatical excitement over the movie trilogy. And not only does FoxTrot incorporate pop culture into its story lines, the strip has actually become a pop culture icon: It has been used as a question on the game show Jeopardy! and as an answer in the New York Times crossword. Am I a Mutant, or What! is the newest FoxTrot collection, featuring strips that ran from late 2002 through mid 2003. Amply documented as a favorite with readers, FoxTrot runs in more than 1,000 newspapers, and previous FoxTrot books have sold more than two million copies.

His Code Name Was the Fox by Bill Amend, 128 pages

 It's perceptive. It's irreverent. But, more than anything, FoxTrot is reliably funny year after year, strip after strip. FoxTrot Collection is the latest collection of strips featuring the funny and flawed Fox family. It marks the 23rd collection of this comic strip staple that can be found in more than 1,000 newspapers worldwide every day. FoxTrot Collection is the latest chronicle of the chaotic Fox family-parents Roger and Andy, teenagers Peter and Paige, and ten-year old Jason and his pet iguana, Quincy. This book finds Roger behind his keyboard struggling to write a spy novel, prompting helpful writing advice from Jason such as "the 'on' switch is that little round one." The others add to the insanity, with Jason battling video games, Paige searching for a personal assistant, Peter eating and eating, and Andy stressing through it all.Everyone experiences day-to-day turmoil in their family life, which is why Bill Amend's FoxTrot Collection is sure to resonate with readers across the globe. 

Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-City Funeral Home by Sheri Booker, 267 pages

 Sheri Booker was only fifteen years old when she started working at Wylie Funeral Home in West Baltimore. She had no idea that her summer job would become nine years of immersion in a hidden world. Reeling from the death of her beloved great aunt, she found comfort in the funeral home, and soon has the run of the place, from its sacred chapels to the terrifying embalming room.

With AIDS and gang violence threatening to wipe out a generation of black men, Wylie was never short on business. As families came together to bury one of their own, Booker was privy to their most intimate moments of grief and despair. But along with the sadness, Booker encountered moments of dark humor: brawls between mistresses and widows, and car crashes at McDonald’s with dead bodies in tow. While she never got over her terror of the embalming room, Booker learned to expect the unexpected and to never, ever cry.

This vibrant tour of a macabre world reveals an urban funeral culture where photo-screened memorial T-shirts often replace suits and ties and the dead are sent off with a joint or a fifth of cognac. Nine Years Under offers readers an unbelievable glimpse into an industry in the backdrop of all our lives.

The Adventuress by Carole Nelson Douglas, 402 pages

 Diva/detective Irene Adler and her bridegroom, handsome barrister Godfrey Norton, are honeymooning in Paris when they become embroiled in an investigation: a drowned sailor's body has been recovered from the Seine, and on his chest is a tattoo. A tattoo like one Irene once saw in London-- on another sailor's chest, while the corpse lay upon Bram Stoker's dining room table. This clue will lead Irene to the first beautiful blond American princess of Monaco, political and matrimonial treachery, and a sword duel as she and her new friend Sarah Bernhardt unravel the mystery-- with, of course, the help of Godfrey, Irene's faithful chronicler Miss Penelope Huxleigh, and Sherlock Holmes himself.

Death By Field Trip by Bill Amend, 128 pages

 It's indisputable at this point: FoxTrot is one of the most loved strips to ever hit the funny pages. Creator Bill Amend's FoxTrot collection, Death by Field Trip, adds to the strip's great legacy.

Death by Field Trip follows the humorous exploits of teenagers Peter and Paige and their imaginative little brother, Jason, as they balance the pressures of the modern world with the daily complexities and clashes of family life. Parents Roger and Andy round out the Fox family five and try to referee the sibling squabbling that never quite fully subsides.

Encyclopedias Brown and White by Bill Amend, 128 pages

 From master cartoonist Bill Amend comes his newest collection of FoxTrot favorites. From hilarious sibling rivalry to marital disagreements over spending habits, FoxTrot has amassed a religious following of fans of all ages.

Assorted Foxtrot by Bill Amend, 250 pages

 FoxTrot has built its considerable appeal with its sincere depiction of the hilarious clashes seen in everyday family life without getting too sticky sweet. Fans of all ages can find something in creator Bill Amend's work with which they're familiar, from the outrageous sibling rivalries between ten-year-old Jason and his teenage siblings, Peter and Paige, to marital squabbles over golf between parents Roger and Andy.

FoxTrot's appeal, in large part, comes from Amend's talent for finding humor in contemporary topics and issues. Readers enjoy a delightful ride as the Fox family members give their takes on the latest in pop culture. It's sometimes surprising and always entertaining to see just how different members of the same gene pool can be.